Convertible car.



P. M. BEARD.

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE I2. I9II.

Patented May 25,*1915.

2 SHEETS-TSHEET l.

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INI! NQHRIS PETE/cs. Co.. PHOTO-LITHO.. IVASIIII-JGTON Dv IJ.

y P. M. BEARD.

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED IuIIE I2. I9II.

Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LMV/raf THE MORRIS PETERS CD., PHOTc-LITHO.. WASHINGYUN. D, C,

PAUL M. VBEAIRJ), OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY..

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

' T0 all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL M. BEARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at S't. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement 1n Qonvertible Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, 1n which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in section, of my improved convertible car; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view en line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a horlzontal view through one of the corner posts and one ofthe vertical side posts; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on line 6 6, Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view on line 7 7, Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on line 8 8, Fig. l, and Figs. 9 and 10 are vertical sectional views of a modified form of end raildoor. 5

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in convertible cars, the vobject being to'construct a car of the character described which may be used either for the transportation of live stockor freight.

My improvement consists essentially in providing the car with longitudinally disposed slats such as are usually employed in stock cars, and .in mounting fieXible side wallson suitable rollers whereby said side walls f'may' be usedto form closed walls for the car'.v a

InV the drawings, 1 indicates the underframeV upon which is supported the superstructure which may be of any preferred designso far as the'roof supporting posts, diagonals, etc., are concerned. The end wallsY are preferablyA solid, a door 2 being provided at the bottom, which door is suspended in position Aby meansof adoublejointed hinge 3 whereby the lower edge of the door may be tted into a space provided by the lianged inner end of thek cover plate 4 of the end sill. This door 2 is suspended'in such a way as to leave a space between its lower edge and the plate 4 to permit the escape of water when the car is flushed out. The door 2 may be used in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25 i915.

loading the car with certain kinds of freight-,

suchxas rails. u l

The posts and diagonals at the sides of the car are preferably formed of commercially rolled members 5 to which lfurring strips 6 are secured. To thesefurring strips are fastened the slats 7. 8 are bent plates secured to the furring strips, the edges of said plates being spaced apart so as to provide guiding grooves for the flexible side walls 9. The spaced edges of these plates 8 which form the guiding grooves for the side edges of the flexible side walls are arranged on the posts or furring strips inside the outer faces thereof and thus when the flexible side wall is lowered, it occupies a vertical plane inside the vertical plane occupied by the outer faces of the posts and the facia plate. The lower edges of these flexible walls carry a stiflening angle 10, and, as" shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 8, the said flexible side walls operate between the spaced edges of the plates 8 outside of the slats 7, so that the contents of the car will not be liable to injure said flexible walls. The slats 7, as shown, are secured to the inner faces of the furring strips and eXtend nearly to the roof of the car, the facia plate 11, or a number of pieces constituting the facia plate, eX- tending down over the furring strips 12 of the side frame plate 13 and terminating above the upper slats 7. This provides a space between the upper slats 7 and the facia plate 11, through which space the flexible sidewall passes in being wound upon or unwound from its roller 14. This roller is mounted in a housing 15 secured to the side frame vplate directly inside the latter and facia plate, and is preferably ofthe well-known type of spring roller having-a ratchet 16 on its end with which coperates a restraining pawl 17. Thus, when it is proposed to utilize the curtain or lieXible wall, the same is drawn down from the outside by the angle l0, the pawl permitting this movement, and, when it is fullyl eX tended, said angle will be adjacent the side sill of the underframe, `being spaced from the lioor or decking of the car so as to provide a space for the passage of water, etc. The pawl will prevent the spring roller from acting to rollvup said wall. The bottom slat 7 is spaced apart from the floor so that water, etc., may pass thereunder and escape over the edge of the floor. To per and such construction effectually closesthe spaces between the flexible curtain andthe facia plate and in the event of an accidental .disengagement of the pawl 17 from the ratchet 16, the angle 10 will engage against the lower edge of the facia plate, thereby preventing the curtain from wholly rolling up into the housing 15.

Suitable means may be provided to lock the angles 10 in Vtheir lowered position, if

desired, but I have found, in practice, thatl the flexible walls vare sufiiciently stiff vertically to avoid the necessity of such locking means. The car is provided with suitable side doors 18 for closing the side openings, and these side doors may have small ventilating doors 19 as shown in Fig. 2, if desired.

Vhen it is desired to use the car for the transportation of stock, the curtains may be raised, or, if, on account of inclement weather, it is desired to protect the stock by lowering the curtains, this may readily be done, the slats 7 protecting the curtain from injury by the stock. The slats 7 are also a protection for the curtains from injury by the freight contents of the car other than stock. By locating the housing 15 and spring roller 14; inside the facia plate and arranging the guiding grooves inside the outer face line of the side posts and furring strips, the flexible curtain when in lowered position is to a considerable extent protected against injury from the exterior for the reason' that it is wholly located inside the vertical plane occupied by the outer faces of the side posts. The curtains are preferably made of thin strips of metal whose edges interlock to form hinges or flexible joints,

Y but these form no part of my present-invention, f

The door 2, before referred to, and which portion of the end wall of the'car is'usually known as an end rail door, said door being used principally in loading the -car with rails. By the use of the double jointed hinge I am able to make this end rail door flush with the end wall of the car, the outer face of said door bearing againstrthe end posts 2a and the lower inner edge bearing against an abutment formed by the floor or decking of the car which, in this instance, may be faced by an upturned ange extending from the end sill cover plate, which end sill cover plate forms 'a sill for this door.

.In Figs. "9 and 10 I have shown a modified form of hinge for the end raill door in which the double jointed hinge link 20 has one end arranged at an angle to the body of the link, said angularly extending end Abeing'pivotally connected to the upper edge of the door 2. The mainbody Vof this link is slotted, as shown, so as to engage a staple or hinged pintle 21 secured to the lower edge of the end wall ofthe car. The link 20 can be used as a handle to lift the upper edge of the door 2 forwardly and away from the end wall of the car and out'of its rabbeted joint with the floor decking, permitting said door to be swung upwardly as shown in Fig. 10 so that the door can be folded againstthe inner face of the end wall of the car and beV held open in such inclined position.

To close the door from the position shown in Fig. 10, itis only necessary to lift the hinge link with the door so that said link can turn on the pivot rod 21 and permit the door to swing outwardly to its closing position. The Ventilating door 19 before referred to is also held in its open and closed position by means of a locking plate 22, said' locking plate having inclined slots 23 formed therein, whereby said plate has a tendency tomove downwardly and laterally. A handle 24 may be provided on the plate 22 whereby said plate may be lifted for the purpose ofreleasing the door Aeither from open or closed position. |The door 19 is preferably provided with a Vgroove 25 into which the plate 22 is received when the door is closed and by being received in such a groove the plate 22 not'J only serves as a locking strip, but also prevents the entrance of sparks, dirt, cinders, etc. When the door is open the front edge thereof passes behind the strips 22'and is therefore held open. To close the door, it is only necessary to lift the strip until the front edge of the door passes the same, whereupon the door may be moved to its closed position and the strip 22 automatically (by gravity) falls into-its locking position.

I claim: Y 1;V In a convertible car, apair of posts,'a

pair of plates fixed to the outer face of each of the posts, said bent edges being spacedV apart to form guide ways, and a curtain, the side edges of which occupy saidguideways. i 2. In a convertible car, a pair of posts, a pair of plates fixed to the outer face of each post, which plates extend downward onl the posts below the floor line of the car, Vboth edges of each plate being bent inwardly so thatJ said edges occupy vplanes inside the vertical plane occupied by the outer faces of the posts, said bent edges being spaced apart to form guideways, and a curtain, the edges'of whichoccupy said guideways.

3. In a convertible car, the combination with posts having guideways, on their sidey other, both edges of each plate being bent the guideways between the edges of the plate, and means coperating with said rollers for holding the same against rotary movement in one direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in theV presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of June, 1911.

PAUL M. BEARD.

faces, which guideways are composed of a pair of plates, one of which overlies the inwardly so that said edges occupy planes inside the vertical plane occupied by the outer face of the post, said bent edges being spaced apart, spring-actuated rollers arranged for operation between the upper portions of said posts, flexible curtains attached to and adapted to wind onto said rollers, the edges of which curtains occupy and traverse Witnesses:

OSCAR HOCHBERG, JAMES J. COOPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fox` ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. C. 

